


a laced-up heart to be unlaced

by Miraphina Atherton (mew_tsubaki)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, M/M, Older Characters, bc Remus is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 22:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14924102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mew_tsubaki/pseuds/Miraphina%20Atherton
Summary: "You don't even know what you're saying." "Then show me already." What started off as nothing escalates into much more than "something."





	a laced-up heart to be unlaced

**Author's Note:**

> The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: This is meant to be a sequel/companion piece to "[Coming undone maybe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14923997)," but I suppose you don't have to read it first.

At first, it was just a one-night thing, completely unexpected. Then James Sirius Potter got to thinking.

So, yeah, Teddy's party from a while ago had been awesome and fun as hell. A night without witches? _Excellent_ , in James' mind. Witches were whiny little creatures anyway…er, just don't go repeating that to his mother or to Aunt Hermione…yikes.

But James had carelessly—and this happened often enough—left his wand and flat keys at the party. He knew he'd be able to go back and get them, but he'd been too exhausted to do it _that_ night, so he'd just asked and crashed at Remus' place for the night. James had even taken Remus' bed that night, since it was the only one in the house, and Remus had slept on his couch. So, yeah, it had just been unexpected, totally unexpected.

Yet James hadn't really slept that night. There he'd been, in a strange yet familiar man's bed, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. After all, would Remus really have let him stay if he'd known James played for the opposite team? Sure, Harry had always told his kids that Remus was perhaps the most understanding person one would ever meet, but James had never asked anyone—not even Remus himself—if the werewolf was all right with…with _poofs_.

And yet James kept staying over, unable to cleanse his mind and heart of what he wrote off as a teensy bit of desire for the older wizard.

At first, after that accidental sleepover, James had thanked Remus and then left, and that was supposed to have been all said and done. But then James got irritated with his flat mate and best friend, Troy, so he'd needed another place to sleep.

Lo and behold! Remus' place.

Remus didn't seem bothered one bit. And, the longer James stayed, the friendlier Remus became. It was a wonder that Harry hadn't shared this side of Remus with the others. Though the eldest Potter son thought that perhaps his dad had never gotten the chance to see Remus in such a light.

But of course there was a downside to this: James' itty, bitty desire was quickly evolving into something more. He began to long for a little touch, more than strained interaction. He wanted to have a taste of the howling kind…and he wanted to feel it. And he wished that Remus would look at him with the obvious love he displayed in his eyes when looking back on old school photos.

Yet even _that_ got James wondering… "Remus, you have so few pictures of—of Tonks."

James immediately regretted his observation when Remus appeared to freeze. But what that actually did was open a can of worms, and, little by little, Remus came to confide in James that Remus had not ever and could not have ever loved Nymphadora Tonks because, as the werewolf put it, he "could never love a witch—not with a heart that beats only for wizards."

Suddenly the house didn't feel as inviting as before.

Remus tried telling James that he hadn't hurt his feelings over the comment, but James couldn't help feeling bad. He insisted on taking the couch and giving the bed back to Remus, and Remus relented…for only a little while. Because one thing Harry had not mentioned was Remus being stubborn when the occasion called for it.

"James Sirius Potter, you are a friend and a guest in this house," Remus sniped at him one night. Then his face softened. "Please, just do me a favor and stop kicking yourself over something really inconsequential." He even added his sweet, small smile that finally prodded James out of his glum mood.

James took Remus' room back that night, but when Remus stood at the doorway, James said, "This really is _your_ room, you know."

Remus chuckled. "I know. But we needn't share. I'm fine in the living room. Besides, I'm sure you're uncomfortable knowing…what you know now about me."

James paused. "It was both of them, wasn't it? You liked both of them. Pettigrew was an add-on that didn't really matter."

The werewolf sighed. "As bad as it is to say…yes, Wormtail trailed behind us. Maybe we led him to become what he did."

"Did you…?"

"Your grandfather was amused by it all," Remus admitted as he leaned on the doorjamb. "I guess it was more Sirius and me. After all, James _did_ love Lily."

"So you'd never again…?"

"Love again? I could. I've tried. I'd like to." Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But I should let you sleep. I've kept you up with this useless chatter again."

"I'm the same way," James blurted, and he watched Remus' eyes widen.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know someone had left you so—"

" _Remus_ , I like _you_!"

Remus' brow furrowed. "Wait, you—" He cursed quietly and still backed away. "No, get some sleep. Maybe I was just—"

"What, influencing me? I highly doubt it. I was feeling this way before you even said anything to me." James fidgeted as he sat up and moved to the bed's edge. He wondered if Sirius or the original James had ever had a hard time convincing Remus of a good thing when it was right before him.

"Jame—"

"Tell me this," James interrupted, and Remus never even got to finish saying his name. "Tell me: What's been running through your mind? With me being here?"

Remus sighed, not one to treat James like a kid. "I've…been curious as to what's been running through your mind. Wondering what… _you_ are."

"If I like witches or wizards." James swung his legs up and lay back against the pillows. "Well, seeing as you've got a brilliant, imaginative mind, I take it you've toyed with the idea of me liking _wands_ ," he said with a smirk. "You know, Remus, I wouldn't mind seeing some of those ideas…and, yeah, I'm fine with sharing this with you," the eldest Potter son said, gesturing to the bed.

The werewolf leaned against the doorjamb once more. "You don't even know what you're saying," he groused lowly.

James stared at him defiantly. "Then show me already, dammit." For once, he had his wand and so he spelled the door to close, keeping Remus in there with him. He thought he'd have to bitch some more, but then hands were holding, mouths were moving, gasps were growling, and bodies were bouncing, and James couldn't help but think a heart was healing, too, because Remus _could_ love again.

He was showing James that right then.

**Author's Note:**

> *le gasp* NAUGHTY! Though I should be used to writing like this now, shouldn't I…? *lol* Well, I hope you liked the frenetic pace I set here. It's almost as though time passed by in the blink of an eye…a week or month felt like a breath or mere moment! :D
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please review!
> 
> -mew-tsubaki B)
> 
> 2017 note: *lol* Not completely horrible, but this 2011 fic prolly deserved the full treatment, not the barely 4 pages it got. ;P Ah, well.


End file.
